The present invention relates generally to carotenoid-based pigmenters and, more specifically, to a carotenoid-based pigmenter that is stabilized against oxidation by a natural antioxidant.
Appearance is one of the important criteria for the selection of foods by consumers. The enhancement of the color of dressed chickens and egg yolks is a result of increasing the carotenoids in the feed. Pigmenter products, including carotenoid-based pigmenter products, are subject to oxidation. Synthetic antioxidants such as ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are often introduced into the final pigmenter product for stabilization purposes. Ethoxyquin is one of the most common synthetic antioxidant used in food and feed applications. A popular carotenoid-based pigmenter uses ethoxyquin as the antioxidant to protect the carotenoids against oxidation. However, the use of ethoxyquin remains a controversial subject due to the purported health concerns especially on pets. Recently, the Japanese government has started efforts looking at possibly replacing the ethoxyquin with alternative antioxidants preferably from natural sources.